Orbit Airlines Flight 7776
On 1 October, 2010, a Boeing 757-200, operating as a chartered flight from Orlando International Airport to Portland, with an intermediate stopover at Denver International Airport, was hijacked by the 19-year-old teen, David Couffs, who wanted to commit suicide. The pilots where able to overcome the teen and make a successful emergency landing at Daytona Beach International Airport. David Couffs entered the cockpit at approximately 09:50 Eastern time, shot the First Officer in the back with a pistol and stabbed the Captain. He then proceeded to violently push the planes nose down to a 57 degree angle, before he was overcome by the captain and a flight attendant who had witnessed David shooting and stabbing the pilots. First Officer Harry Dawnslawn was dragged out in to the cabin, where he was treated by the passengers, while Captain Edgar "Eddie" Stevenson regained control nearly crashing the plane in to Orlando suburbs. When the plane landed, a S.W.A.T. Team stormed the plane. All passengers and crew were evacuated. David Couffs managed to escape the plane via an emergency exit, but was shot in the leg by a S.W.A.T member Sanders Henderson. David Couffs was charged with attempted homicide and hijacking and was arrested, at 10:07 Eastern time. The investigation carried out by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) concluded that David Couffs had been depressed for 2 and a half years, and had suicide thoughts for over 3 months. He was often bullied at school was forced to do drugs, cigarettes and other things against his will. This mad him mentalily unstable and gave him depression. This made him take anti-depression pills, which apparently did not work in his case. This led to a planned suicide, where he was gonna go in to the cockpit shortly after takeoff and kill the pilots and steer the aircraft in to the ground. This attempt though failed, because he wasn't able to shoot the Captain before he takes action. This led to him trying to stab the Captain, which ultimately also failed. Hijacker The Hijacker, David Couffs, was born on 2 September 1990 in Fort Lauderdal, Florida. He went to Bayview Elementary School in 1994 until the he and his family, consisting of father John Couffs, mom Heather Couffs and brother Cameron Couffs, moved to West Palm Beach in 2000. This ment him leaving behind his best friends, which helped trigger the depression event later on in his life. He went on to go at the Wynnebruck Elementary school in West Palm Beach. In 2004 he graduated from Elementary school and went on to the Forest Hill Community High school. He did not make any friends and got the nickname of "weird guy" because of his facial hair and his abnormal attitude. He started to get bullied alot and at the junior year, he went in to a state of depression. In Senior year his bullies made him take drugs, such as cocaine, alcohol and heroin. He started to have suicide thoughts and even revenge thoughts about killing and torturing his bullies. He was court making plans for his revenge by his father and he was immediately send to a medical clinic against depression and revenge thoughts. He had to take anti-depression pills every day, twice a week. In 2010 he failed his exams and was forced to stay one more year in the school. He started getting bullied by other people who called him dumb, because he failed the exams. The same summer he started planning a suicide, where he would go on a plane and crash it after takeoff. His plans where never detected and on 1 October 2010, he boarded Orbit Airlines Flight 7776. After the failed hijacking he was sent to the hospital be of his wounds, and was prisoned with a life-long sentence, for attempted hijacking and homicide. Category:Orbit Airlines Accidents and Incidents